Here's a great article on how to stay safe during "social distancing" for the prevention of COVID-19.
And here are some tips for how to stay sane:
1. Take care of yourself
I know this is often the hardest one to do, but also the most important. I know when I am in a good place, I am a much better mother and human being. At a minimum, try to go to bed on time and drink enough water during the week. Also, do not be fooled by this post (you should see what the rest of my house looks like!) or any others you may see, we are all just doing our best not to fall apart during a stressful time - so definitely don't compare yourself to others or beat yourself up! Make sure your self-talk is compassionate ("I am doing my best", "I am human and it's okay if I lose it sometimes", "Tomorrow is another day") and that you give yourself a break!
2. Make a schedule
Children and adults all do better with structure. The schedule I made (see below) includes school assignments and fun activities. You can build in unstructured play time and quiet time as well. At the end of each day, each child that completes each item on the schedule can choose a prize. The prizes are activity books, crafts, 3D puzzles, etc which they can then play with as you prepare dinner and/or the next day.
3. Read
Books are AMAZING. In addition to "real" books, most libraries allow you to use your card number on apps such as Overdrive and Libby to check out ebooks and MP3 audio books. You can also get books that are "read along" - a combination of ebook and audio book - that are good for younger children. Read the previous blog post for some more tips on choosing appropriate books for children as well as the link to a fb page with great book ideas.
4. Go outside
It's so important to get outside as much as you possibly can. The benefits of both sunlight and movement cannot be overemphasized. Bikes, trikes, ball, scavenger hunts, walks, and other games like red light, green light all work well with a variety of ages.
T0 be continued...
And here are some tips for how to stay sane:
1. Take care of yourself
I know this is often the hardest one to do, but also the most important. I know when I am in a good place, I am a much better mother and human being. At a minimum, try to go to bed on time and drink enough water during the week. Also, do not be fooled by this post (you should see what the rest of my house looks like!) or any others you may see, we are all just doing our best not to fall apart during a stressful time - so definitely don't compare yourself to others or beat yourself up! Make sure your self-talk is compassionate ("I am doing my best", "I am human and it's okay if I lose it sometimes", "Tomorrow is another day") and that you give yourself a break!
2. Make a schedule
Children and adults all do better with structure. The schedule I made (see below) includes school assignments and fun activities. You can build in unstructured play time and quiet time as well. At the end of each day, each child that completes each item on the schedule can choose a prize. The prizes are activity books, crafts, 3D puzzles, etc which they can then play with as you prepare dinner and/or the next day.
3. Read
Books are AMAZING. In addition to "real" books, most libraries allow you to use your card number on apps such as Overdrive and Libby to check out ebooks and MP3 audio books. You can also get books that are "read along" - a combination of ebook and audio book - that are good for younger children. Read the previous blog post for some more tips on choosing appropriate books for children as well as the link to a fb page with great book ideas.
4. Go outside
It's so important to get outside as much as you possibly can. The benefits of both sunlight and movement cannot be overemphasized. Bikes, trikes, ball, scavenger hunts, walks, and other games like red light, green light all work well with a variety of ages.
T0 be continued...